Alamo is an unmissable sculpture, a daunting black cube 8′ across, perched on one corner. Also known as the Astor Place Cube, it’s an NYC landmark. Earlier this week, someone draped a large U.S. / Ukraine flag across the cube. Yesterday, someone tore it off. The unknown person, acting in apparent solidarity with Trump and Putin’s agenda, ripped the flag from the art installation and crammed it in a nearby trash bin. While there are a variety of possible motives, trashing a symbol of American / Ukrainian unity sends a particular message. Trump’s disrespectful treatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is surely fresh in the minds of many as well.
Pro-Ukraine Flag Removed From NYC Alamo Cube
Flying flags upside down as a sign of national distress is increasingly common in the U.S. The flag once draped across the NYC cube is a different story, a protest in the name of American / Ukrainian solidarity. In a Reddit post yesterday, Redditor u/deaddaddydiva describes capturing the footage of the unidentified individual as they removed the flag. After the person left, the OP retrieved the flag from the trash. They then replaced it to the best of their ability, leaving it wrapped around the sculpture’s base.
The post drew plenty of comments applauding deaddaddydiva. Others, however, weren’t so supportive. One commenter pushed back on the critics, saying, “Lot of tough talkers here when it’s not your son or husband being sent off for slaughter.” With issues ranging from war crimes to forced conscription, the war in Ukraine is far from simple. Another commenter longed for the person who removed the flag to face consequences, saying,
Remember when street justice was a thing? State Farm remembers….
It’s no accident that libraries, universities, museums, and public sculptures are the focus of renewed attacks and scrutiny. The rise of American authoritarianism under Trump is anti-intellectual at its core. Public art pieces will be contested as much as the right to free speech on college campuses. Americans aren’t fighting for their right to pick a side but for their right to pick at all.
